The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has warned that the rising cost of petrol, now selling for as much as ₦1,470 per litre in parts of Nigeria, is pushing citizens “dangerously close to the limits of human endurance” and deepening the country’s cost-of-living crisis.

In a statement issued in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party said the latest fuel price hike has become a major driver of inflation, with transportation, food, electricity, education and other essential goods becoming increasingly unaffordable for millions of Nigerians.

The ADC described the soaring pump price as a “Tinubu Tax,” arguing that petrol has evolved beyond being an ordinary commodity into what it called an instrument of economic hardship for everyday citizens.

According to the party, households are being forced to make painful financial choices as wages have failed to keep pace with the rising prices of fuel, food, rent, transportation and school fees. It noted reports that some private schools have increased tuition by between 30 and 40 per cent, placing additional pressure on parents already struggling with stagnant incomes.

The statement stressed that businesses are equally affected, saying school proprietors, transport operators and small enterprises are grappling with higher electricity bills, fuel costs, taxes, rents and salaries, making survival increasingly difficult.

The ADC further criticised the Federal Government’s economic reform programme, maintaining that reforms should improve citizens’ welfare rather than deepen poverty. It argued that impressive economic figures mean little if ordinary Nigerians continue to experience worsening hunger and declining purchasing power.

The party urged President Bola Tinubu to take urgent steps to ease the burden on Nigerians, warning that the patience and resilience of citizens should not be mistaken for acceptance of continued economic hardship.